MEGAN GRUMBLING

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Comedy, not suspense The driving force of Hitchcock's 1939 film The 39 Steps is suspense, as unwitting bachelor Richard Hannay gets caught up in espionage, train escapes, weapons technology, and the future of Europe and the world.

Metallic myths Since they began gaining mass popularity in the '80s, the antique copper laser-guns, cog-studded corsets and alternate electronic empires of the steampunk genre have been buzzing the cultural circuitry ever more.

Rock and love Monica (Christine Dulong), a go-getter songwriter and Glasgow’s "young Jewish entertainer of the year," at first seems a poor match for snarky rocker Ian (Graham Bailey), who hides out in his bedroom noodling on his guitar and taking slugs from a flask. ("Can you blame me?" he asks. "Have you seen the public lately?")

August: Osage County + steampunk robots Perhaps the most anticipated Maine premiere this season is the darkly caustic family apocalypse of August: Osage County (October 14-November 7), the much-lauded 2007 tragicomedy by Tracey Letts, to be produced by the GOOD THEATER .

See for yourself Born Yesterday recalls the optimism of the post-World War II era, when the economy was booming, the Good War had made the world rational and safe for democracy, and millions of Americans were taking advantage of the GI Bill.

Ribald, and sobering, tales of first encounters Although this review of My First Time , a show about virginity loss, appears in our Student Survival Guide issue, several of the play's characters are well into their 30s and still — deliberately or not — waiting.

Airspeed + swallows "Adult Situations," a sign in the theater lobby promises, though as my companion eagerly commented pre-curtain, the disclaimer should perhaps also include a warning of "Childish Situations."

MSMT's Chicago is a wry spectacle The musical satire Chicago first hit the boards in 1975, the same year as A Chorus Line , and you could say that the two shows highlight two sides of the era's ethos: The latter follows dancers through feel-good, encounter-group-style personal affirmations; the former charts a dancer-murderess in her flashy, cynical rise to celebrity queen.

Outdoor Bard-ing A new opportunity for free al fresco Shakespeare launches this week in Freeport: The Freeport Shakespeare Festival stages its premiere, a richly laden production of The Tempest , from August 3-6 in L.L. Bean's Discovery Park, directed by Julie George-Carlson, who is also founder and Artistic Director.

Comic relief Major cities like Seattle, Chicago, and Los Angeles have long rounded up their fastest and funniest in yearly extravaganzas of improvisational comedy, and this year, Portland joins their ranks.

Fenix's '60s Night in the park Only a minute or two into the Fenix Theatre Company's Twelfth Night , certain principals are already wet and flailing on the floor of the reflecting pool in Deering Oaks Park.

Monmouth's error-less Comedy As someone who watches a lot of Shakespeare's comedies, I'm delighted to report that the Theater at Monmouth's production of Comedy of Errors is nothing but fresh, non-stop, stand-out fun, from shipwreck to filial embraces.

Lyric's clever cast in Fools When Neil Simon penned Fools , writes director Celeste Green in the program notes to her Lyric Music Theater production of the 1981 comedy, he was playing to lose: He was hoping not to make us laugh and cry, but to hose his investors and flout his ex-wife, who was promised the profits of his next play.

MSMT rolls out a wonderful Patsy Cline The season at Maine State Music Theatre opens with the beautiful music of Always...Patsy Cline , Ted Swindley's feel-good celebration of the remarkable singer (Jenny Lee Stern) and her charms both on and off the stage.